How to Train Your Orkhai Ch. 03

It has been a while, but if you're reading this I'm so glad you decided to give this work another look even after all this time! Their story is far from over, and I hope you will enjoy their upcoming (and perhaps a little long) adventure!

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Calm waves had something rather soothing to them, Tarai felt. The warm, briny water engulfed her lower legs as she sat down on a rock, enjoying the warm sun and the sight of birds flying in the breeze. "Maybe there'll be time to swim later?" the orkhai wondered, always having loved the feeling of water embracing every inch of her skin. "Our clan hasn't neared any decent spots for it in a while..."

Stretching her arms and spine a bit, Tarai looked to the fairly busy docks not too far away from her side. There were people bartering and leading carts around, men and women gathering crates and other such things for shipping... and a familiar head of bluish silver hair talking to an older human. The orkhai couldn't help but smile a little at the sight. It'd taken them three days of walking to get to this place - Risky Landing, as it was apparently and ominously called by the inhabitants - and while Lanica had grumbled throughout the journey and couldn't quite keep the orkhai's pace, Tarai hadn't minded at all. A chance to prepare some fresh food with plants and mushrooms she'd foraged along the way - substituted by some dried meat, of course - and them sleeping under the night sky together...

Her only regret was that the beautiful neko hadn't felt like doing more than the occasional hand brushing down her body or a short kiss - at first Tarai coped with it easily, but while her girlfriend surely meant it as nothing more than a bit of gentle teasing, as the days went on the horny orkhai couldn't wait for another shared moment of passion. The mere thought of that night at the inn was enough to send pleasant tingles down her spine...

Taking a deep breath of the salty air to clear her mind, Tarai simply sat there for a bit as she watched Lanica do her thing, trying to see which ships would be heading out soon and wondering where the two might end up. "It didn't sound like she particularly cared where we'd go. I wonder why..." Tarai thought as she dangled her feet a bit. "She's not looking for someone... what if she's running from something? Maybe wanderlust got to her?" The tall orkhai knew that feeling, really. One of the best parts of the nomadic life for her had always been the constant moving, with new sights to see. And even now, Tarai was excited for this journey of theirs, perhaps because she had no idea where they were headed herself.

"I should go see what she's thinking," the tall half-elf eventually mumbled to herself after savouring the moment just a bit more. Drying her feet and putting her shoes back on, Tarai stood up straight and looked around to see where her girlfriend had wandered off to. "Girlfriend..." Even after three long days that word still made the amazonian orkhai giddy, a happy sigh coming from her lips.

Until today, the orkhai had barely even realized just how tall she really was compared to almost anyone - ogres like her family tended to have her beat, but all the people she'd seen here? With her height, she easily towered over the crowd and it didn't take her long to find Lanica either. Standing near a few small stalls, the catgirl seemed to be looking around with a slight frown and with some torn paper in hand. Whatever she was looking for was soon forgotten, however, when the neko noticed Tarai looking her way, and with a little smirk she shredded the paper and made her way over, scattering the fragments to the wind.

"There you are!" Lanica began as she came closer, her voice not quite drowned out entirely by the commotion. "Finished relaxing in the sun?" she asked with a subtle purr, her tail lazily swaying left and right.

"It's not like there won't be plenty of time later," Tarai pointed out with a shy smile. Demure as she might still be, however, it nevertheless didn't take long for her curiosity to get the better of her. "So what'd he say, then? Are there any ships that don't mind two more passengers?"

Annoyance flitted over the neko's face for a moment as she looked back at the wharf, but it didn't last long. "Yeah, about that... there might be a problem, I'll admit," Lanica shared. "The two that are leaving soon are either packed or too expen-"

A loud crack and a man's alarmed shout caught the two off-guard as an overly-loaded cart was led into a small hole by the overgrown avian beast that pulled it, deep enough for the two wheels at the front to get very, very stuck. "By the Frozen Whore, what now?!" the troll driver yelled in frustration as he and a younger human both got off to inspect the damage. The orkhai and neko watched for a moment as they muttered and cursed - mostly the old troll, really- but when they tried to lift the cart out together and proceeded to fail utterly, Tarai stepped closer. "Don't you try anything, miss!" the balding, gray-haired warned between heavy, strained breaths as the orkhai came closer, suspicion plain in his voice. "I'm watching you!"

"Do you need a hand?" Tarai asked, looking at the tarp-covered, tightly bound shipment of whatever it might be that weighed the old wagon down. At first, the old man didn't respond to her with anything but a grumble and a distrustful look before barking a command at the cart's beast of burden. Try as it might, however, the animal just couldn't get the wheel over the hole's edge even with the help of the two men. Sharing a look with Lanica who merely shrugged, the orkhai felt she couldn't just stand back and watch. "It's not moving like this, but a third set of arms might make the difference," she pointed out, and the neko gave her an interested look as Tarai walked to the cart's front.

Face red from exertion, the troll struggled to catch his breath as he glared at the orkhai, but before he could protest the human at his side looked at him. "Look, Rishar, it's clearly stuck and you and I are never gonna move it like this," he reasoned, his blue eyes turning to Tarai instead. "You said yourself that there's plenty of work that needs doing before dusk, and if a kind stranger's willing... shouldn't we just accept it?"

The troll's mouth opened as if to argue, but with a resigned sigh he shook his head, nigh-black eyes glancing at the orkhai. "Fine, fine... but if something gets stolen you are paying for it, Tobias!" he grumbled as he took a step back, still visibly winded.

Knowing that this was probably the best she was going to get, Tarai nodded and squatted down to curl her fingers underneath the wagon's undercarriage to get a firm grip. "On three... two... one!" the orkhai called out as she tried to lift it as well as she could, but it was heavy. Grunts of effort escaped her lips as the cords of her muscles strained, slowly but surely helping to get the wheel up inch after inch until it finally was up high enough for the beast of burden to pull it over the hole, while the human did his best to steer the animal as to avoid the exact same dilemma with the hind set of wheels. Tarai watched with a victorious sigh as the stupidly heavy cart rolled away a few yards just so it was in the clear - although the shocked and apologetic stare from the old troll certainly helped matters. "See, I can help!" she thought to herself as she looked back to Lanica.

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"...How did she...?" the neko wondered, surprised by what she'd just seen Tarai do. "This would've, no, should've taken more hands than three sets, and she was basically doing it alone!" Lanica had to admit, this girl was strong... A very valuable trait, especially if she could trust the orkhai to only use it when told to...

"Look, I... I'm sorry 'bout being rude earlier, miss," the troll broke the silence as he looked the powerful orkhai over with newfound respect. "There're too many untrustworthy folk on the roads, but you still decided to help despite what I said. You've got my thanks," Rishar said, his up-until-this-point perpetual frown giving way to the closest approximation of a smile that Lanica assumed he could manage.

"Yeah, that was great!" the human said almost too excitedly as far as the neko was concerned, but she recognized the look on his face all too well. Eyes still a bit wide from the surprise, and how they kept trailing down Tarai's body... "Someone's got an admirer," Lanica smirked, although she honestly couldn't even blame him. "I'd love to do something back, but we really need to unload this thing in the next few hours," Tobias shared apologetically, and his boss nodded in agreement. "That's it? Just a 'thank you'?"

"Surely you can spare a few coins for the trouble, no?" Lanica spoke up as she walked to Tarai's side and did her best to look disappointed. "Others might've taken advantage of you, and without Tarai you'd have been busy taking everything off the wagon... That has to be worth something, don't you think?" the neko asked with the faintest pout.

From the way the troll hesitated to answer and shared a look with his companion, Lanica knew she got him. "That... I guess that's fair," the troll admitted, retrieving a small pouch to count out a handful of coppers. "Here, as a reward," Rishar said to the orkhai, knitting his brows as the catgirl took them instead and added them to her own purse. Shaking his head somewhat exasperatedly, he got back on his wagon and gestured the human over. "Now, hurry up and let's get this all loaded up before noon. We've wasted 'nuff time."

"Yessir," Tobias answered quickly as he got on the cart himself. Looking back to the impressive orkhai one last time, his boss called out to the beast of burden and they left the two girls on the road once more.

"Very impressive," Lanica praised the orkhai when it was just the two of them, and she meant each word. "I'd seen you were strong in the woods, but that... that was quite the feat!"

Adorably, the demure orkhai cast her eyes down - although that pleased little smile didn't escape the perceptive neko in the slightest. "Really, it wasn't that special..." Tarai said quietly. "The others at my clan would've done it much more easily."

"Oh, stop it," the beastkin rolled her eyes, poking Tarai's chest with a slender finger. "Maybe some ogres are stronger than you, but a girl like you could take on just about anyone else out here in the big world! Don't be too harsh on yourself, alright?" Lanica told the orkhai, dragging her finger up Tarai's body and then lifting her chin to meet her eyes for a few long and quiet seconds.

Blushing was all that Tarai could manage in that little moment of intimacy, and from the look in those mismatched eyes Lanica could tell she wanted more... "Not just yet, pretty thing," the catgirl thought, still thinking her plan through. "I'll try..." the enticing orkhai finally broke the silence with a little nod, before looking back at the town. "What were we talking about again? Was there a problem with the ships?" she then asked, apparently content to move on from their shared moment already. "Works for me."

"Right," Lanica nodded. "So apparently the only ship that's leaving today is already mostly full on passengers, although there are a few spots left to buy. Problem is, though, that'll cost more money than we have," the neko sighed annoyedly. "Even with the extra coins you just earned us."

"Oh," Tarai muttered, seeing the problem. "If there's still time, maybe we can try to help at the docks for some pay? There has to be someone looking for more hands, surely!" she suggested, clearly seeming willing to get her hands dirty. "I can think of someone... " the neko thought with no small amount of satisfaction. She'd already found a great solution for their problem, but Tarai would probably need some... coaxing.

"Wellll..." the catgirl began as she cocked her head sideways in thought. "There's an opportunity that I saw in town that'll take care of our problem, but it's a bit complicated." Gesturing towards the docks, Lanica's tail curved a bit while she began to move. "Follow me and I'll tell you when we get there, alright?"

Judging by the curiosity in Tarai's eyes as the towering orkhai nodded and followed the neko's lead, this wasn't going to be much of a problem. "Where did that elf say to meet her again?"

Together they walked over the busy docks and into the village proper, running into fewer people than Lanica had entirely expected. In the corner of her eyes she saw some tattered paper joined with some intact wanted posters stuck to one of the walls, having previously borne a surprisingly accurate likeliness of Aubrey's face before the neko had pulled it off and torn it to shreds. That wasn't really what'd worried her, though - it was the similarly-vandalized tatters below that showed little more than 'Lani-' on it, the rest having been ripped away. "What if there are more out there with my head on them? All the more reason to leave this place soon..."

Entirely oblivious to her companion's worrying, the amazonian orkhai was far too interested in seeing the way the road was cobbled here, the many distinct buildings of wood and stone, and the myriad of other sights she didn't really ever see when she traveled with her clan. Still, even Tarai could tell something was off by the amount of seemingly abandoned homes. "Why are so many of these houses so... well, they don't look to be in that great of a state," she noted, drawing Lanica from her musings.

Glancing around herself, the neko slowed her pace slightly. "No one's maintaining those anymore, I think. From what I've heard, this place used to be a lot bigger a few decades ago," Lanica shared, recalling some of the stories she'd heard told around these lands. "In the past, this was the only proper port for quite some distance, often frequented by the empire, merchants and many more. Still, they called it 'Risky Landing' back then as well, since the sharp rocks were infamous for tearing up careless ships - they still are, really," the neko said, remembering some stories of richly-loaded ships losing countless treasures to perhaps grace some lucky mermaids deep below instead. "Honestly, I'm surprised this place remained relevant for as long as it did. Probably because it's supposedly where the empire first crossed the sea to go westwards..."

"I think I get that," the orkhai told the neko, having listened with genuine interest. "It's like a symbol, if that's true... although it doesn't sound like it was enough to keep people around."

"No. No, it really wasn't," the beastkin chuckled softly. Crossing a corner, the beastkin thought she could see the tip of the warehouse she was looking for peeking over the edge of a neighbouring roof. "It was a far bigger place once upon a time, but once a few more ports were built in frankly more sensible places, Risky Landing didn't stand a chance, and I doubt the silly name helped. Sentimentality is nice and all, but it's not worth sacrificing so much for..." she sighed. "Not for most people, anyway."

"Leaving just about any place behind entirely isn't really a thing I've ever struggled with, but maybe it's just easier for nomads..." Tarai wondered a bit, her curiosity sated for now.

"Maybe so, indeed," Lanica echoed before she raised her hand and gestured for Tarai to stop. "Don't be too conspicuous now, alright? We're here."

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Following the neko's eyes, the orkhai glanced over a decently-large square where humans, dwarves and a few other beastkin were going on with their business, some of them hauling boxes to and from a big building with huge doors. "That's a warehouse, right?" Tarai asked, wondering if Lanica was planning for them to work there for a few hours. "Do you think they're looking for hands there?" If honest labour would get them the money they needed, she was more than willing to lend her strength.

"Not quite," Lanica answered, keeping her gaze fixed on the door. "Do you see that lady leaning against the door?"

"Leaning against the door...?" the orkhai wondered as she looked around, trying to discern just what her girlfriend had meant. Between all the humans and such, Tarai noticed a few figures standing out: skin gray as stone, slender, form-fitting armour and short, silver hair underneath an armoured helmet as they leaned in the shade. "Drow? They're not too common around these parts, are they?"

"Well spotted," the neko confirmed with a little smirk. "Them standing out so much is honestly a good thing, or I might not have noticed before it'd be too late..."

"'Too late'? Do you know them?" the curious girl asked, her eyes returning to Lanica.

Nodding shortly, Lanica took a few steps back to hide herself from the warehouse' line of sight and sat down on a nearby crate. "Sadly, I do. Or at least, the priestess that's leading this little expedition of theirs," the beastkin explained. "She and I had something of a disagreement several moons ago, where I managed to ruin a trap she had laid for a particular traveller that'd earned her wrath... Of course, she and her entourage did not think of me all too well after that, but I managed to escape that day." A sigh slipped past her lips as the neko smiled wryly. "I'd hoped she would've returned to whatever hole she lives in by now, but it seems we're not so lucky... Then again, this might be an opportunity for the two of us!"

"Getting into so much trouble to help someone else entirely..." Tarai was very impressed, really. Still, there was one pressing matter she didn't quite understand yet... "How is she involved with your plan, then? It's not safe to work there, is it?"

"Remember how the ship's almost full?" Lanica cocked her head with a little conspiring grin. "As it turns out, I saw that she and her escort paid for a spot..."

"...And you want us to take it, somehow," the orkhai finished the neko's line of thought, beginning to realize the plan a bit.

"Exactly!" the catgirl purred, her feline tail curling in a few slow strokes. "Even if we somehow managed to make enough money in the next few hours by working - and I doubt we can - we'd have to share a journey with vengeful drow that'd love a chance to get some payback on me... So, we'll have to take her proof of payment and with it, her group's spot."

The thought of stealing didn't sit well with Tarai, even if this drow didn't sound like a particularly good soul in the first place. Back at home, theft had always been seen as a grave betrayal by her adoptive family. "Do we really have to steal? Surely, another boat will come sooner or later?" she protested quietly, looking around the corner to the warehouse.

"I really don't wanna be here any longer than I have to, Tarai," Lanica said with a determined expression before it softened a bit. "Look, I can't think of anything else that'll help us right now, and I've tried, trust me. Besides, taking away their passage would honestly be us doing the right thing - whatever business those tunnel-dwelling sadists have on the surface can't be good!"

With a short but graceful leap, the neko got back to her feet and put her arms around Tarai's waist, the feeling of those heavy, perfect breasts pressing against her skin being utterly unmistakeable to the orkhai. Those striking purple eyes stared up to her pleadingly, almost getting rid of whatever resistance the tall girl still had. "There's no way I can do this all alone, though..." Lanica told Tarai. "But together, we can. What do you say, lover mine?"